Heat On Malone's `Acceptable' List

MIAMI — The agent for Karl Malone, the NBA's No. 2 all-time scorer, said the power forward has listed the Heat as one of the teams he would consider playing for.

Malone, a two-time league MVP who's approaching his 41st birthday, spent last year with the Lakers playing alongside newly acquired Heat center Shaquille O'Neal.

"I've talked with the Heat," said Malone's agent Dwight Manley. "Right now, I think [Malone] is just weighing a lot of things."

Malone, who took an $18 million pay cut last season, has said that he wouldn't come back for his 19th season if his surgically repaired right knee wasn't sound.

The chances of Malone leaving the Lakers increased Monday when they signed center Vlade Divac from Sacramento. He has been talking to the Spurs.

Malone, a 14-time All-Star, endured his first injury-plagued season last year, playing just 41 games and averaging a career-low 13.2 points and 8.8 rebounds.

The Heat is still considering Spurs free-agent power forward Robert Horry, who played in Alonzo Mourning's charity basketball game at AmericanAirlines Arena Sunday night.

"Nothing's been scheduled yet, but we have talked," said Robert Barr, Horry's representative. "Robert wants more rings. Miami doesn't have state taxes, and he loves the city. How could you not?"

Horry, who has five championship rings, three with O'Neal and the Lakers, averaged 4.8 points and 3.3 rebounds with the Spurs, but he is known for his clutch shooting in the playoffs.

"Numbers don't win you rings," Barr said. "You want players to deliver in the clutch. Robert's a money player. If the Heat wants to go to the next level, Robert's a perfect fit."

Other free agents high on Miami's list include former Heat point guard Mike James, Bucks guard Damon Jones and forward Bryon Russell, a close friend of O'Neal's.

PUMPED-UP HASLEM

A slimmed-down, chiseled Udonis Haslem couldn't believe it when he heard O'Neal was joining the Heat.

"I'm still soaking it in. I never thought a great player like Shaq could get traded," said Haslem, who scored 10 points in Mourning's charity game. "You automatically think he's locked in by a team for the rest of his career.

"How could I not be excited to be playing with the most dominant player in the game? He'll make rebounding and the game so much easier for everybody, but at the same time, everybody's got a responsibility to play their role and help him out."...

Wizards guard Larry Hughes, a regular at Zo's Summer Groove weekend, said his feelings about winning the new Southeast Division recently changed.

"We liked our chances in our division a lot more before Shaq came to Miami," Hughes said.

JET LANDS IN MIAMI

TNT analyst Kenny "The Jet" Smith is stunned at the rash of offseason moves by so many of the game's best players, including O'Neal, Steve Francis and Tracy McGrady.

"I'm more amazed at all of the signings than anything else and not just the money, but where they're going," said Smith, in town for Zo's Groove. "You've got to make that move if you're Miami. You don't want to win fast, you want to win now, right now."

Smith believes that anything less than the Heat making it to the NBA Finals would be surprising.

"Shaq has proved that he gets to the Finals in the East and in the West, and that's all you could ask for," Smith said. "He gets there."

JERSEY SURE

The Heat has sold more than 1,000 O'Neal No. 32 jerseys online since they were made available Wednesday afternoon, Heat Group Executive Vice President Michael McCullough said Monday.

A limited stock of the jerseys and children's T-shirts is in the team store in AmericanAirlines Arena, which will open at 11 a.m. today.

Fans can continue to buy the jerseys online, but team officials do not expect another shipment into the store until Aug. 1.

Meanwhile, McCullough said sales calls for season tickets continue to come in rapidly, and seats are still available.